Bryan Reynolds smacks go-ahead homer, Pirates drench Diamondbacks in win

PITTSBURGH — Bryan Reynolds had to wait quite a while to one-up Joey Bart, but his patience was rewarded.

The Pittsburgh Pirates’ catcher smacked a solo shot in the second inning of Saturday night’s game at PNC Park, which was followed by a 68-minute rain delay. Reynolds roped a go-ahead, two-run blast in a 4-2 win against the Arizona Diamondbacks.

The homer doubled as Reynolds’ first of the second half, and his team-leading 19th of the season. Including Saturday’s game, the Pirates are now 12-6 whenever Reynolds has homered in a game in 2024.

The two-time All-Star has gotten on base at a consistent clip in the second half, but without the power that became a hallmark of his plate appearances from June 1 onward. The slugging outfielder entered Saturday’s contest hitting .330 since the beginning of June, an average only eclipsed by the Diamondbacks’ Ketel Marte (.350).

While Reynolds plated a pair with one swing, Bart needed only one more to equal his output. In addition to his eight home run of the season, Bart muscled an RBI single to left in the Pirates’ three-run sixth that put the contest out of reach.

Despite Mother Nature’s best attempts, it was a clean game on all fronts from the Pirates. They got some timely hits, and a beleaguered bullpen covered some essential innings at the back end of the contest to prevent their slide from hitting three straight losses.

Instead, the Pirates coasted to a convincing win to set up a rubber match Sunday with rookie sensation Paul Skenes set to start. And in the process, they moved back to two games north of .500.

On the mound

Starter Mitch Keller was sublime, needing just 60 pitches to compile four innings of shutout ball. But his night ended prematurely due to a downpour of epic proportions, and manager Derek Shelton turned to his bullpen to cover the final five frames.

Dennis Santana initially struggled, loading the bases without recording an out in the fifth inning. New left-handed reliever Jalen Beeks allowed one inherited runner to score on a full count walk, but otherwise stranded the bases loaded to limit the damage.

Kyle Nicolas tossed two scoreless innings and Aroldis Chapman blanked the Diamondbacks for a frame to set things up for closer David Bednar. It was a little hairy, though, before Bednar earned his 20th save of the season.

The two-time All-Star gave up an RBI single to Ketel Marte with two away, but that was as much as the visitors could muster.

At the plate

Outside of Bart and Reynolds, there wasn’t much by way of offensive developments for the Pirates.

There was a newcomer amongst the group, though, in Isiah Kiner-Falefa. The recently-acquired utilityman went 0 for 3 in his Pirates debut with a strikeout while also grounding into a double play.

Kiner-Falefa was also charged with a throwing error in the eighth inning on a Josh Bell groundout. He made a nice play up the middle to keep the chopper from reaching the outfield, but first baseman Connor Joe couldn’t help Kiner-Falefa on the back end.

Despite it being a ho-hum debut, Kiner-Falefa’s presence was a welcomed one. He hadn’t played in an MLB game since June 30 due to a left knee strain, and had been rehabbing for practically all of July.

After a one-game rehab assignment with Double-A Altoona on Friday, Kiner-Falefa was deemed fit enough to play a few days removed from being acquired from the Blue Jays.

Up next

Sunday: Pirates vs. Diamondbacks, 1:35 p.m. ET, PNC Park

Probable pitchers: RHP Paul Skenes (6-1, 1.90) for Pirates; RHP Ryne Nelson (8-6, 4.53) for Diamondbacks

Key matchup: Skenes will make his third career start against a National League West opponent. In his previous two appearances, Skenes has compiled a 3.27 ERA.

Hidden stat: Bryan Reynolds is hitting at a .330 clip since the beginning of June. The only National League player with a higher batting average during that time is Arizona’s Ketel Marte (.350).

Monday: OFF

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